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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
WDYT- mental health transitional home
I got an email about this the other day from our community association, Sheppard Pratt is planning to convert a house in a residential area of Ruxton into a transitional home for recovering mental health patients and/or addicts. Apparently everyone in the community is up in arms over it. I can see both sides of the debate, but in the sake of stirring up some conversation today, I figured I'd post and see what you all think. Would you be accepting of or opposed to a transitional home for mental health patients/addicts in your neighborhood?
Re: WDYT- mental health transitional home
My MIL was in a home like that, not run through Sheppard Pratt, out in Carroll County about 5 years ago and it was great for her. She shared the home with 2-4 other patients (dependent upon the size of the home) and they had companionship, a sense of responsibility and a sense of independence. They were checked on regularly, particularly to make sure they were taking their medications, and they were transported for doctors' visits. Eventually she worked up to a point where she had her own apartment through the same program, which gave her the most security and independence she'd had in a number of years.
It was great. I desperately wish she'd stayed in the program because I think it was the absolute ideal place for someone in her situation.
I would not mind in the least if a similar program existed in my area and one of the homes was in my neighborhood. I think it's incredible what these programs can do for these patients, especially after having witnessed it first hand with my MIL.
I think it's sad and shameful that residents are so up in arms and so willing to, essentially, publicly mock these patients who may end up in this home. Why would anyone, particularly someone trying to recover from a devastating mental illness, want to feel shunned and unwelcome. They've done nothing wrong by needing medical attention. Would they shun a cancer patient in the same fashion?
Hm this is interesting.
I understand the concerns about lowering property values, and i do agree with the point that 8 unrelated individuals in a house should be approved (if 8 towson students were going to rent a house in Ruxton, Roland Park, Mount Washington, etc, I can see the residents getting up in arms over that as well.)
But in general - eh, I'm not sure I'm on the residents' side here. Keeping recovering MH patients in low-income, more dangerous areas isn't really helping anything. It kind of reeks of a "not in my backyard" mentality - people acknowledge that these types of halfway homes are good and important, but they don't want them on their street.
I live very close to this building, and honestly, we have had zero issues with this complex besides this and most people in the neighborhood would say the same.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-downtown-shooting-20110421,0,3075724.story
I think NIMBYers (Not In My BackYard) in generally are short sighted and stupid. NIMBY all you want about a bar, or a nuclear plant, or something that is actually unpleasant to live near - but a house full of people going through treatment? WTF is there to complain about? Do you think depression or cocaine addiction is contagious or something? This isn't a crack house, it's a place for people getting better.
Quotes like this: "Now I have a house across the street from me filled with people who have issues that I am not fully aware of," Tom Costello said before the meeting. Make me think that these neighbors are just jerks. I'm not sure if Mr. Costello has noticed, but he doesn't get a say if a family full of drug addicts and mental patients who AREN'T getting treatment moved in next door.
I actually think that there might be something similar in my neighborhood - at the very least there is a place divided up into several apartments that are all occupied by people who make frequent use of the special county shuttle for people with assorted special needs.
They make good neighbors. The place is fairly well maintained, they're friendly enough (always wave back when I say hi walking by) and they're quiet. There's not much else I expect from my neighbors. So....yeah. What is there to complain about?
I think at the base of this is the gigantic social stigma against needing needing treatment for drug/mental issues. Nobody wants "crazy crackheads" in their neighborhood, as if that's the only kind of person who seeks treatment and could use a safe place like this.
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Wawa you make a good point about the stigma against drug/mental issues.
The one quote (I can't remember what it was exactly) - but something about potential danger to their children - proved that point. Why is there an assumption that a house like this will put children in danger?
Yes, some people with mental illnesses are extremely dangerous. But news flash - lots of people without mental illnesses are dangerous as well. And like you said wawa, you don't get a say normally who moves in next door to you, and who knows what issues your neighbor may have that you are just unaware of?
This made me chuckle. No one has any idea what goes on behind closed doors, regardless of how well you think you might know your neighbors. It's rediculous to assume that you do.
I think that the over the top reactions are kind of rediculous. But at the same time, I understand some of the logistical concerns related to parking, zoning, etc. If I lived on that block, I would be worried about the parking issue myself (it's a very narrow street), and I would want the facility to have a policy that specified the conditions that would qualify for admission. If those things were addressed responsibly, I can't see a reason why I would oppose it.
(stole the quote Wawa posted) "Now I have a house across the street from me filled with people who have issues that I am not fully aware of," Tom Costello said before the meeting.
That quote is ridiculous. I'm sure my neighborhood is full of people who may or may not have "issues" and I am not aware of any of them. Are YOU fully aware of all of your neighbors' business? No.
When I lived in Windsor Mill, there was a halfway house of sorts 2 doors down from us. The residents were friendly, if a bit socially awkward, but they never caused any trouble. We didn't feel unsafe or anything living near them.
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I bet you Tom Costello is aware of all his neighbor's business. I bet he's one of those people who watches everything his neighbors do, gossips like an old biddy with nothing better to do, and judges the SHIIT out of everybody and has absolutely no compunctions about sharing his opinion on your new car/lawn mowning habits/choice of career/diet plan/child rearing methods/whatever.
And that's your hypocritical snap judgement for the day.
As for the parking issue brought up by others - I totally agree, that's something that would need to be addressed up front and enforced pretty strictly, but I got from the article that Sh-Pt was well aware of that and planned to address it, but was too busy trying to convince people that they wouldn't be murdered in their beds by people recovering from depression or percoset addiction.
My Goodness...another food blog. Featuring: Macarons from a old post with a photo taken by my mom for a break from my crappy food photos!
Hahahahaha. Nothing happens in Ruxton without Tom Costello being aware of it!!!
Often in situations like this I think parking issues etc are brought up almost as...red herrings, I guess? "It's not because we have anything against those with mental illnesses, its because of the parking!!!" When, in fact, they do have something against those with mental illness.
I will say that the people who live in the center near me annoy the crap out of me bc they throw food everywhere. Like whole loaves of bread. We're in the city. Let's not encourage the rats, mmmmmkay?
I think alot of this is just snobbery, but there are issues with group houses like this in neighborhoods that should be taken into account.
When my friend was in recovery, she lived in a halfway house/assisted living (whatever you call it) in a really nice part of Bethesda (in MoCo). I think there were ~6 women there all in their early 20s-40s. So, that's 6 cars parked in a house and neighborhood that was designed for 2 cars each. Also - each woman had guests - who all had cars too. And, it wasn't just like once or twice a year they had guests - they all had guests at different times - so if me and another friend visited our friend living there, and another resident had a friend living there - that's 3 extra cars, plus the 6 that are already there for the residents. And, since this was a really residential area, everyone had to have cars, there was very little public tranporation available.
There was a guy in my old neighborhood who was possibly a drug dealer (and known to police) and he always had people in and out of his house (and possibly running some kind of illegal dog training business). He was more dangerous and bothersome to me/my neighborhood than a houseful of known recoverying addicts or mental health patients.
I think probably at least half the people that are moaning about parking are really just asssholes, but honestly it is a real concern. This is something I look at for a living, and it's a big impact on a small neighborhood to suddenly dump those extra cars on it. Like when your neighbor has a party...and suddenly nobody can park. But that's just one night, and this is every day.
Sometimes the answer is something as restrictive as people in the house not being allowed to have their own cars on site and providing them a shuttle, and sometimes more of a comprimise can be worked out. It depends on the specifics of the neighborhood and the facility. I don't know enough about baltimore's zoning code to say how it would work here, but in other juridictions they can approve things like this with restrictions for stuff like parking that are very enforceable. I'd be interested to hear how Shephard Pratt planned to deal with it.
My Goodness...another food blog. Featuring: Macarons from a old post with a photo taken by my mom for a break from my crappy food photos!
Oh I completely get that it "can" be a real concern, and that parking is an issue, especially in areas like Ruxton that have narrow streets, etc. I'm a city girl, I get parking issues lol.
But I just don't buy that everyone who is all up in arms over this is up in arms over it because of the parking, you know? I think they are first enraged over the home itself, then the parking issue comes to their mind. I don't think Tom Costello's first thought upon hearing this was "but the parking!!!"
I've just read a bit more about it, and apparently the community association got the county zoning office to shut down a plan to convert a SFH in another Ruxton neighborhood into a boarding home for the same reason- inappropriate use of a SFH in a residential neighborhood of families. That makes me understand the argument a little better, because they had the same opposition to another project that didn't involve mentally ill patients or any sort of treatment, it seems like at least part of the argument is concern for maintaining the image and feel of the neighborhood. And if I put myself in the position of having spent maybe $700,000+ on my house, I might be a little paranoid about the image of my neighborhood too... maybe even a a little snobby, lol. I can still see both sides of the debate.
And, this is why all these neighborhood associations are both a blessing and a curse.
Its great to keep your property values up, etc. but it can easily slide into elitism and discrimination.
I don't think that the community association's motive against the project is discrimination. It seems like they just don't want group homes in the area, regardless of who the residents are. On an individual basis, yeah, some of the neighbors are behaving in a discriminatory way.